Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We have no need for a storm door on our front door, but 3 seasons a year we would like to be able to get light and ventilation through a screen door. I hate to ruin the look of the front door.
Hubby thinks we should buy a wooden screen door and paint it the same color as the front door. I think we should get a metal one with a slim profile in the same tan color as the door frame.
Do you Use your front door? Most people don't, if you're one of those people, why not put up something that's screen only. A thin metal trim around the door frame, painted the same color as the door frame, and screen material cut to fit with magnets along the edges. Complete screen coverage, but no "frame" to ruin looks. If someone should come to the front door, it's no big deal to remove the screen and put it back later... but it DOES require some fiddling (and is a DIY solution, so it only looks as good as the effort you put into it). Along a similar vein is to make a thin profile wooden frame, like a normal window screen, that simply slots into place on the outside of the door.
If you USE that door with any frequency, then you're stuck with a screen door of some sort. What style/age of house are we talking about? Photo would be even better. That will help with identifying the best aesthetic options available.
Having always had a storm door (front and back) in Michigan, it's just weird to me not to have them.
In my "new" (my gosh, we've been here 8 years!) neighborhood (Southern Ohio) we're one of only a few houses in the neighborhood (neighborhood new as of about 2000) that installed a storm door.
That said - older houses in the area - often have them. Just seems that the new houses, people don't think of them.
We have a "all glass" storm door - so there's a small metal frame, and then a full glass insert. In the spring we switch the glass for screen.
The metal frame is dark red/maroon (as is our brick) and our door is a full glass (again, small door frame - large leaded glass panel) that is visible through the storm/screen.
The storm doesn't do anything to hide the front door, nor to detract from it.
Older style storms/screens (3/4; 1/2, solid opaque) certainly are a different look, and definitely would hide or obscure your actual door. But if you do a full glass storm, it really is barely there.
Also the new storms (andersson, larson, etc..) are great - much better in terms of keeping them propped open, etc..
I know your problem, because that is one I faced in my last house and in this house. In order to get cross ventilation we'd need to open our front door. Houses are not reliably designed to have cross-ventilation through their windows any more.
But I hate the look of storm doors, and will not have one.
If I wanted to pursue this, I'd have an attic fan installed, and run it for a little air movement. Attic fans work well enough to bridge the seasons.
What is the house's architecture/style/age? We have a now 100 year old house which had aluminum storm doors when we bought it. The front was replaced with a period/style appropriate wooden one fairly quickly.
One reason to have a storm door is to protect the main door.
What is the house's architecture/style/age? We have a now 100 year old house which had aluminum storm doors when we bought it. The front was replaced with a period/style appropriate wooden one fairly quickly.
One reason to have a storm door is to protect the main door.
We had a lovely decorative wooden storm door when we lived in a colonial style house and it looked good...it enhanced the entry door. It looked like what you linked. I loved that door.
Our present house is a 25 year old brick ranch with a nice original wooden door on a covered porch. We do not think anything that will cover the door will look very good. We will just need to look at our options in person. We might be surprised to find one that we like, but I doubt it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
